What looked destined to be a bunch sprint through the streets of Naples devolved into a crash-marred war of attrition. Stage 6 of the Giro d’Italia served up a slick, cobbled final corner that wiped out half the field. While the heavyweights hit the deck, XDS Astana’s Davide Ballerini navigated the inside line to secure his first Grand Tour stage victory.
Ballerini wasn’t supposed to be sprinting for the win today. XDS Astana had spent the stage setting up their sprinter, Matteo Malucelli. But as the peloton funneled into the final corner, the riders on the left line lost traction. Malucelli went down in the pileup, leaving Ballerini alone and upright at the very front of the race.
Hearing a desperate “Go, go!” over the team radio from the wreckage behind him, Ballerini didn’t hesitate. He launched a sprint from 250 meters out, giving everything to hold off the surviving chasers to the line. The victory marks XDS Astana’s second stage win of the opening week.
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